Meet Neela Jazayeri | Founder & Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Neela Jazayeri and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Neela, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’m a first-generation American, raised by my incredible parents who came to the U.S. after the Iranian revolution and rebuilt their lives from the ground up. I was raised with grit, practicality, resilience, and a deep appreciation for thoughtful gestures—especially flowers. My mom and grandma used flowers for everything: from small, everyday gestures of love to expressing what they didn’t have the words for. It wasn’t about making a statement; it was about making someone feel seen.

Using all I learned from them, I had been giving people flowers on the side for years—for birthdays, breakups, new jobs, hard days, just because. But it wasn’t until I started working with them as an adult that I could fully see and articulate their emotional weight. I realized flowers aren’t just decorative; they are atmospheric. They elevate moods, transform spaces, and shift energies. Seeing people’s reactions to receiving them reminded me of the joy I grew up around and brought me back to a question I kept pushing aside out of fear: could this be something more?

I’m pragmatic by nature, so I built slowly: testing, saving, experimenting, until I couldn’t ignore it anymore. I didn’t want it to stay a side project. It became the space where both sides of my brain—creative and analytical—could finally work together. It gives me a deep sense of purpose: one that honors my parents’ sacrifices, keeps me connected to my late grandma, and lets me help people bring their most meaningful moments to life.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
My work is rooted in storytelling through flowers. I’m drawn to asymmetry, texture, and movement—arrangements that feel alive, move beyond convention, and are slightly unexpected. I’m not trying to follow tradition or trends, and I challenge the idea that flowers need to be perfect to be beautiful. I’m often told my work looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book–still surreal to hear; it’s a compliment I deeply appreciate every time.

I didn’t always fit neatly into the mold growing up, and while that came with its challenges, it also shaped how I see things. It taught me to spot beauty in unexpected places and gave me an appreciation for individuality. That sense of otherness is something I celebrate now. It’s what allows me to design in a way that feels distinct and intuitive. Flowers are fleeting by nature, and that impermanence is part of what makes them so powerful. I don’t take that for granted.

It hasn’t been easy. I come from a background in medicine and clinical research, not art or business ownership, so there have been a few bumps in the road! So much of this journey has involved (and will always involve) learning as I go: figuring out how to price my time, advocate for my work, ask for help, and trust that I am worthy of building a successful business. The hardest parts have been shedding perfectionism and allowing myself to be visible even when I still feel like I’m figuring it out. But I’ve learned that you don’t have to have it all figured out to start; you just have to care enough to keep going.

I’m proud that what started as a quiet gesture has become a body of work that makes people feel something, honors where I come from, expands how I think, and reminds me daily that meaning and beauty can live in the same place.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc. In your view what are some of the most fun, interesting, exciting people, places or things to check out?

If my best friend came to town, I’d want them to experience the kind of week that leaves them full in every sense. Equal parts food, nature, creative inspiration, and a little indulgence! We’d grab coffee multiple times a day, have Tartine’s avocado toast, take lots of long walks, go to different workout classes, get Ding’s Crispy Chicken Sandwich at Hillstone, and get lunch at Great White, followed by a wander down Abbot Kinney.

We’d wake up early one day for the flower market and spend the afternoon putting together arrangements, with the windows open and jazz playing in the background. There’d be a stop at the Mar Vista Farmers Market, movie nights, and cozy nights in with deep conversations. Dinners would rotate between Ospi, Élephante, and UOVO (pasta is my love language, if you couldn’t tell). One night I’d host a dinner with our good friends, delicious wine, and cookies from my favorite vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar–free spot (how LA of me).

And the highlight: a Point Dume beach picnic, with Lily’s breakfast burritos (my favorite EVER), a good book, Five Crowns or backgammon, and golden hour with sun-kissed skin and salty hair.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people woven into this. Far more than I could ever properly name.

Matt—my partner in every sense—has built with me, lifted heavy things (literally and metaphorically), and stood beside me through every pivot and possibility.

My parents and brother have believed in me before I even believed in myself. They never once discouraged me from choosing a path that felt fulfilling, even when it wasn’t the most straightforward.

My grandma gently nudged me toward this path when I was still in high school—and got to see me finally start it, just a month before she passed. Her love and belief in me transcend spirit and continue to guide every decision I make.

The friends who’ve lent me their hands, their time, their eyes at the end of a long design day. The ones who’ve shown up with drills, snacks, second opinions, cute comments on my Instagram, and quiet reminders to keep going.

The early clients who trusted me when I only had a few posts on my feed, and the people who referred me without being asked.

This business might have my name on it, but it carries the fingerprints of every person who’s lifted me up along the way.

Website: https://www.lushieblooms.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lushieblooms/

Substack: https://substack.com/@lushieblooms

Pinterest: https://pin.it/uuqRLRxd8

Image Credits
Matt Komo